As multimedia information processing systems increase in popularity, system designers must consider new techniques for controlling the processing and display of data simultaneously generated by multiple sources. In particular, there has been substantial demand for processing systems which have the capability of concurrently displaying both video and graphics data on a single display screen. The development of such systems presents a number of design challenges, not only because the format differences between graphics and video data must be accounted for, but also because of end user driven requirements that these systems allow for flexible manipulation of the data on the display screen.
One particular technique for simultaneously displaying video and graphics data on a single display screen involves the generation of "windows." In this case, a stream of data from a selected source is used to generate a display within a particular region or "window" of the display screen to the exclusion of any non-selected data streams defining a display or part of a display corresponding to the same region of the screen. The selected data stream generating the display window "overlays" or "occludes" the data from the non-selected data streams which lie "behind" the displayed data. In one instance, the overall content and appearance of the display screen is defined by graphics data and one or more "video windows" generated by data from a video source occlude a corresponding region of that graphics data. In other instances, a video display or window may be occluded or overlaid by graphics data or even another video window.
In the multimedia environment, the "windowing" described above yields substantial advantages. Among other things, the user can typically change the size and location on the display screen of a given window to flexibly manipulate the content and appearance of the data being displayed. For example, in the case of combined graphics and video, the user can advantageously create custom composite visual displays by combining multiple video and graphics data streams in windowing environment.
In order to efficiently control windows in a multimedia environment efficient frame buffer management is required. Specifically, a frame buffer control scheme must be developed which allows for the efficient storage and retrieval of multiple types of data, such as video data and graphics data. To be cost competitive as well as functionally efficient, such a scheme should minimize the number of memory devices and the amount of control circuitry required and should insure that data flow to the display is subjected to minimal delay notwithstanding data type.
Presently available systems disadvantageously employ two buffers, one for storing video data and one for storing graphics data. Such systems waste memory space and increase the number of memory devices required. Further, in order to handle dual frame buffers, more memory control circuitry is required which complicates both system structure and operation. Among other things, the need to access two frame buffers substantially impacts system operating speed. Additionally, the increased amount of control circuitry adds further unnecessary costs above and beyond the increase costs caused by inefficient memory use.
Thus, due to the advantages of windowing, the need has arisen for efficient and cost effective windowing control circuitry. Such windowing circuitry should allow for the simultaneous processing of data received from multiple sources and in multiple formats. In particular, such windowing control circuitry should be capable of efficiently and inexpensively controlling the occlusion and/or overlay of video and graphics data in a windowing environment. Preferably, such systems should employ a single frame buffer for storing both video and graphics data simultaneously.